Dick Armey

Armey, Dick (Richard Keith Armey)ärˈmē, 1940–, U.S. congressman, b. Cando, N.Dak., grad. Jamestown College, Univ. of Oklahoma (Ph.D.). A Republican and former economics professor at North Texas State Univ., he was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas in 1984. He conceived the independent nonpolitical commission that became responsible for identifying those military bases to be closed as a cost-cutting measure. A conservative and political ally of House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Armey advocated the phasing out of Social Security and farm subsidies and opposed President Clinton's health-care reform proposals. He became House majority leader in 1995, the year his Freedom Revolution was published. After retiring in 2003, he worked as a lobbyist and was chairman with (2004–12) of FreedomWorks Foundation, a conservative organization advocating small government and libertarian-influenced activism.